Client News

From life-sized animals to enchanting murals, the new Dr. Sarah K. Jandrucko Academy for Early Learners brings art, learning and play together for young students in Mansfield ISD.

The academy opened in January 2019 and serves eligible Pre-K students in Mansfield. Its campus mission statement and purpose “is to improve the school readiness of young children using creative, hands-on, interactive experiences within a research-based early childhood program.”

Every space in the academy is designed to create an experience for young learners. Rather than traditional classrooms, the academy is divided into four pods and sixteen distinct learning experiences. From the deep sea and the savanna to space and Wonderland, students are encouraged to explore new places and concepts—all while building literacy, numeracy and social skills.

“I feel like these experiences have brought learning to life for them,” one teacher at the academy commented.

Research has consistently associated higher student achievement and engagement with active learning. The academy provides ample opportunities for Pre-K students to dive into active learning through meaningful, age-appropriate experiences. Notably, the students get to enjoy these experiences every day—a feature that makes this school one-of-a-kind.

“I am honored by the opportunity we have to help transform the landscape of early childhood education. This facility is truly unique, and we are so excited about the possibilities and the future ahead for Mansfield ISD students.”

Chris Huckabee, AIA, Chief Executive Officer

The exterior of the school is modern yet blends seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood. Inside, the space is progressive. Flexible furniture and technology are used alongside interactive learning displays to promote excitement and interest in curriculum. The four themed pods (which house four learning experiences each) align along a main corridor. Pods also include multi-purpose space for activities, large-group collaboration, instruction and family-style dining.

In the short time since the academy opened, teachers have observed significant student progress.

“My students have learned vocabulary words that I never would have imagined,” one teacher remarked.

From counting to collaboration to fun new words, the Dr. Sarah K. Jandrucko Academy for Early Learners is preparing students for the future by providing highly-visual, engaging and exciting experiences every day.

February 5 was a celebratory day for Georgetown ISD as they officially “opened” their new administration and training center in one of the district’s historic buildings. Huckabee team members joined the Georgetown community for a ribbon cutting, tours of the campus and one very special dedication.

GISD’s administration center is named after Jerry Hammerlun—an icon in the Georgetown community, a beloved former colleague of the Huckabee team and a fierce advocate for education. Jerry was passionate about mentoring future leaders and ensuring his community embraced the future while honoring the past. He played a critical role in the vision of the new administration building before his passing in June 2017.

Photo credit Jerrod Wittman, “The Bearded Wonder”

The Hammerlun Center for Leadership and Learning serves as home-base for more than 100 district employees. It is a collaborative and innovative learning space for educators, featuring office space plus a state-of-the-art professional development center that emphasizes flexibility, choice and collaboration. District employees have access to maker spaces, professional learning labs, planning rooms and more. Their space mimics those that are found in their schools.

From the start, GISD wanted to preserve the history of the building. The Hammerlun Center was built in 1924 and was the original home to Georgetown High School, later serving as the district’s middle school, and most recently, Williams Elementary School. Huckabee worked diligently to pay respect to the architecture of the period while reflecting the current culture of learning in GISD. The exterior remains largely unchanged while the interior blends a more industrial and professional aesthetic.

The opening of the Hammerlun Center represents the culmination of a years-long effort to redefine learning in Georgetown ISD. It’s a one-of-a-kind campus that is truly reflective of the way GISD wishes to engage students, educators and administrators within an exciting and supportive learning culture.

On August 11, Godley High School officially opened its doors with a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony. This event provided an opportunity for community members to come together, celebrate the facility and walk the halls before the first day of school. At the event, GISD staff members expressed gratitude and enthusiasm for the school, which will serve the community for years to come.

The new facility is a reflection of the district’s mission to empower students to lead. The flexible, adaptable environment at GHS gives students choice and creates more opportunities for imagination, collaboration and student-led learning. The epicenter of the school is the Center for Learning & Innovation, which features a café, library, collaboration rooms with movable walls, a film room, learning stair and access to the outdoors. This large, open area is reminiscent of a college environment and is designed to accommodate learning in a variety of contexts.

The design also features modern and flexible classrooms, labs and CTE spaces. Media and presentation spaces incorporate 21st century technology and comfortable seating. A vibrant weight room and gymnasium provide space for athletic activities. Outdoor courtyards and ample natural light support the collegiate feel. The high school is 120,000 sf total and can accommodate up to 700 students in grades 9-12. The school will support student learning and growth in a unique, engaging setting.

Summer is here (pause for teacher applause) and the East Texas Montessori Prep Academy just finished its first year in their new building. Longview ISD’s new academy, with a 1,400 student capacity and area of 123,000 sq ft, is one of the largest public Montessori schools in the nation. It can accommodate district-wide Pre-K / K student population.

This academy has been very successful in its mission, which was to enhance and consolidate the Montessori educational delivery process and to create immediate classroom capacity in existing elementary schools. Before construction of the new academy, the Montessori education efforts of the district were spread throughout multiple campuses, with some campuses performing better than others. The centralized academy provided much needed equity and continuity while also freeing up space in other schools.

The academy was designed with the student’s learning experience in mind. 100 percent of classrooms have natural light, which saves on electricity costs, but more importantly, establishes a connection to nature for the students and staff. Many of the windows are installed at student height, providing play ledges for the students. The classes and corridors wrap around two large courtyards, which provide safe and secure outdoor learning. Every micro and macro design choice shows the prioritization and importance placed on the learning experience.

With many more years to come in the East Texas Montessori Prep Academy, the district’s and the students’ futures look bright.

Comal ISD and Huckabee broke ground on high school #4 last Thursday morning. The event was colored with excitement from school personnel, board members, community members and parents who have rallied for this project since before planning began. The school is sited in one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, offsetting high student capacity at neighboring schools, as well as significantly decreasing the commute for many high school students living in the area.

The design of high school #4 is centered around adaptable and agile learning spaces. A commons area serves as the building’s central hub, which includes the library and the cafeteria. This area is adjacent to the performing arts center and can be closed off from the rest of the building to host community events as needed. A 2-story classroom wing featuring a tiered lecture hall and group break-out spaces lends itself to 21st century learning and collaboration. The campus is also equipped with a comprehensive athletics wing, fine arts wing and outdoor stadium. High school #4 will welcome its first class in the fall of 2020.

Anna ISD and Huckabee developed a master plan for Anna High School to increase capacity and utilization, as well as support a more engaging environment for career and technology programs. The process encompassed a comprehensive review of program needs, site visits, interviews and collaborative meetings.

Phase 1 includes a new CTE wing and renovations to existing spaces, including administrative offices and a classroom conversion to a ninth grade wing. A new lecture hall / multi-purpose space features retractable seating; it is designed to be used as a tornado shelter if needed.

The new CTE addition is modern with a collegiate and professional feel. Programs include health science, art, media and broadcasting, and STEAM. A maker space was added as well. Exterior materials on the addition match those on the existing facility: red and cream color bricks with large expanses of glass to provide natural light and showcase learning. Notably, the design supports dynamic scheduling with the use of central teacher planning areas (TPA). Classrooms can be used during each period while teachers utilize TPAs for office space and collaboration. This maximizes square footage, efficiency and flexibility now and in the future.

Boerne ISD and Huckabee broke ground on Capt. Mark Tyler Voss Middle School this month. In a special ceremony, the district recognized the school’s namesake, the late Mark “Tyler” Voss, who was a Boerne graduate and Aircraft Commander in the U.S. Air Force.

The school serves grades 6-8 with a full complement of fine arts, CTE and athletic amenities. The library, which is centrally located to three classroom wings, offers access to a unique exterior courtyard. The outdoor space features tiered seating and a small platform that can be used as a stage. The 2-story facility was built on a greenfield site in one of the fastest growing communities in the district. It opens in fall 2019 and will be the district’s third middle school.

Students from George Wagner Middle School in Georgetown ISD moved in to their new facility, welcomed by a parade of students, community members, teachers and Mr. Wagner himself. The campus is one of two new schools that support a more progressive approach to teaching and learning.

In recent years, Georgetown ISD adopted a learner profile that promotes critical thinking, innovation, exploration and personal responsibility. The schools, including Wagner Middle School and Purl Elementary School, along with renovations to Tippit Middle School, Georgetown High School and an administration building, are designed to support the new learning model. They are highly collaborative and flexible, technology rich and supportive of not only student learning, but also, professional development for educators.

At Wagner, Learning centers for STEM, humanities and a 6th grade wing include classrooms, labs and teacher planning rooms. Movable walls, flexible furniture and overhead reels for power maximize adaptability for small and large group instruction. In each space, four central classrooms can open into one large area, promoting collaboration and transparency.

Other unique features include an expansive art patio and learning courtyard adjacent to the library. The library also features a maker space and movable walls that open to create a multi-purpose area that overlooks the student commons. The commons and cafeteria feature a learning stair, pre-event space and large stage that adapts to multiple purposes. The central Design Lab, located adjacent to the core of the building, has direct views into the commons, providing a key opportunity for teachers and administrators to collaborate and design engaging learning experiences while modeling the expectations of all learners in the building. Direct views allow the teachers to passively supervise students who choose to learn in the commons between, and even during, dining activities.

Back to school is a meaningful time for Huckabee, as it represents the culmination of a collaborative work effort to plan, design and build facilities that support the success of all students.

This fall, Huckabee opened 21 new schools: campuses that run the gamut from conventional learning spaces to next-generation incubators for education. Some school districts addressed growth and created equitable learning environments, others replaced aging facilities and infrastructure; all responded to the needs of their communities, students and educators.

We are proud of our work and proud to have partnered with some of the greatest school districts in Texas. Here are a few highlights of what opened this fall:

Montgomery ISD, Keenan Elementary School and Oak Hill Junior High School
The district’s 2015 bond included a new elementary school, new junior high school and new high school, as well as comprehensive renovations at all other campuses. The opening of Keenan Elementary School and Oak Hill Junior High School mark the first completed phase of the bond program. The schools share a site and a design aesthetic, blending modern and traditional elements into two engaging campuses.

Weatherford ISD, Shirley Hall Middle School
Weatherford ISD has long awaited the opening of Shirley Hall Middle School. The new facility replaces a nearly 50-year old campus, helping the district address aging conditions, improve efficiency and modernize the learning environment. The space is divided into learning neighborhoods that support collaboration and project-based instruction. Transparency, modern colors, ample light and outdoor courtyards enhance the learning experience for students and educators.

Mansfield ISD, Charlotte Anderson Elementary School
The opening of Charlotte Anderson Elementary School marks the end of the 2011 bond program for Mansfield ISD. It’s the final of five prototype elementary schools Huckabee designed for the district—replacing aging facilities with more secure, engaging and modern learning spaces. Huckabee and Mansfield ISD have been partners for more than 28 years and recently kicked-off design for a new slate of projects as part of the 2016 bond program.

Longview ISD, East Texas Montessori Prep Academy
At 150,000 sf, Longview ISD’s new Montessori academy will house students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and Head Start programs. The school is designed to support personalized and self-paced instruction and is unique in that it’s one of the only Montessori schools run by a public school district. It’s designed to support small learning communities with shared amenities, including two enclosed courtyards / gardens for play and instruction.

Georgetown ISD, Purl Elementary School
Exciting things are happening in Georgetown ISD, as the district is implementing a new learner profile with the opening of two new schools. The first to open is Annie Purl Elementary School. A traditional design aesthetic borrows from nearby historic Georgetown. Inside, classrooms feature movable walls, writable surfaces and flexible furniture; collaboration spaces are abundant; and elements such as a learning stair, reading nooks and a maker space support exploration, creativity and serendipitous learning opportunities.

Killeen ISD, Roy J. Smith Middle School
Roy J. Smith Middle School is one of two campuses opening this fall in Killeen. The school is designed to provide a flexible learning environment within an efficient and sustainable facility. It houses small learning communities in addition to a STEM academy. Other features include a high-volume library, outdoor learning courtyards and modern finishes and materials.

Liberty Hill ISD, Rancho Sienna Elementary School
Liberty Hill ISD’s newest elementary school features a Hill Country aesthetic, constructed with locally-sourced materials including stone, metal panels and a pitched metal roof. The facility was designed for students in pre-kindergarten to 5th grade with the intent to inspire creativity and collaboration and to support an exciting learning experience. Classroom wings feature flex space with access into a large outdoor learning courtyard. In the library, a spiral staircase leads into a reading nook.

Huckabee joined Weatherford ISD for the Cornerstone and Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the new Shirley Hall Middle School. District administrators, community members, students and staff were in attendance, and after the ceremony, toured the new campus. Tim Hopkins, AIA, the Associate Principal on the project, was able to participate in the Cornerstone Ceremony when the masons presented him with the masonry tools and the cornerstone.

The school replaces an aging campus, which opened in 1967, the same year that Huckabee opened its doors. It serves grades 6-8.

Huckabee is proud to have partnered with WISD since their 2015 bond planning began. A successful election gave way to many projects that are helping to modernize facilities and support 21st century learning. Congratulations Weatherford ISD!

Huckabee joined Montgomery ISD for the ribbon cutting ceremony for Keenan Elementary School and Oak Hill Junior High School. It was an exciting day for the community and marked the first major milestone in the district’s $256.75 million bond program.

Other projects include a new high school (opening in 2018) and multiple renovations. The district is being reconfigured to support current and future growth, address aging conditions and create engaging learning environments for all students.

Keenan Elementary School is designed for 800 students in pre-K through 5th grade and will feature collaboration spaces in each classroom wing. Oak Hill Junior High School is designed to serve 1,250 students and houses a theater wing and competition gymnasium. Both facilities feature multi-use activity rooms to act as flexible learning space and were designed to meet high efficiency standards.

Huckabee is proud to be a part of these two projects. We are partners in the success of all students, and these schools are modeled to support the unique needs of the MISD students, staff and teachers in their educational goals. Congratulations Montgomery ISD!

West ISD’s new West High School / Middle School was awarded ENR Texas & Louisiana’s2017 Best Project for K-12. The project was recognized for excellence in design, safety, innovation and teamwork. Designed by Huckabee and constructed by Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, the high school / middle school opened in 2016 and serves grade 6-12. Notable features include a 588-seat performance hall that transitions into a collegiate-style lecture hall; a 1,000-seat competition arena; movable walls, writable surfaces and flexible furniture in the classrooms; a 2-story STEM Lab and Learning Resource Center with pre-making, making and post-making spaces; and a large student union and pre-event space that serves as a civic center for the community. The campus also features an ICC 500 tornado shelter.

Prosper ISD’s new district stadium and natatorium complex delivers a state-of-the-art facility for the growing community. The complex will be located to the west of Prosper High School and will be utilized for athletic, extracurricular and community programs.

The stadium accommodates 12,000 spectators. The home side features a split-level arrangement with 6,000 seats and a 2-story press box. Amenities include a multi-purpose space, press and scouting rooms, film deck, radio / TV box and kitchen. A half-time facility and community room overlook the field on the north end of the complex. Up to 400 people can be seated in the space. The turf field is sized for competition football and soccer. Paved areas provide staging for half-time entertainment.

The natatorium is 34,000 sf with a 16-lane competition pool, a 4-lane warmup pool and two one meter diving boards. Spectator seating accommodates up to 500 people.

Granbury High School’s comprehensive modernization created a learning environment that fosters a collegiate / professional culture for students and teachers. Furniture selection played a prominent role in the design, as Granbury ISD and Huckabee looked beyond typical to create a flexible, engaging and technology-driven space.

While the renovation touched the entire facility, the greatest transformation occurred in three key areas:

Soft seating is used to create inviting areas for informal learning, socialization and idea sharing. Tables of varying height are ideal for study and small-group learning. Breakout rooms in the media center feature collaborative technology that can be used for pre-making research and group exploration activities. A learning stair is used for social engagement as well as a group presentation space. All furniture can be re-arranged to suit student needs.

Teacher Planning RoomsGranbury ISD adopted dynamic scheduling to maximize square footage, create supportive learning communities and promote teaming between teachers. Teacher planning rooms were designed to support this shift. They are centrally located throughout the facility, with glass on all sides for increased access and visibility to all students. Within each space, teachers have desks, collaborative workspace and private meeting rooms.

Career and Technology WingA career and technology addition allowed the school district to provide comprehensive program offerings in a central location. Students have access to new programs, new technologies and new opportunities to learn in a highly professional space. Each classroom or lab was designed around program needs, including a new culinary arts studio, a new aviation workshop, a courtroom, a collegiate-style lecture hall and health science classrooms, among other programs.

In other learning spaces, furniture selections improved mobility and flexibility. Classrooms are easily re-arranged to transition between stand-and-deliver and project-based learning. For many, furniture is no longer an inhibitor to learning and allows for more creativity and deeper engagement between peers and between students and teachers.

A Bright Future: West ISD Rises Up has been picked up in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The documentary follows the story of West ISD, from the 2013 explosion that devastated the school district’s facilities and much of the town, to the day the new high school / middle school opened in 2016. It is narrated by five students who share their experiences, memories and hopes for the future.

Adaptability is a key theme in the design of Godley ISD’s new high school. Inspired by a college campus, the central feature of the facility is a grand Center for Learning & Innovation (CLI) that blends learning, social and civic use into an open-concept, adaptable space. The CLI features a café, library, collaboration rooms with movable walls, a film room, learning stair and access to the outdoors. It creates a mash-up of spaces that can be utilized in infinitely possible ways to customize the learning experience.

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The new high school is designed to provide a variety of spaces for students to learn, with the goal of utilizing each space to its fullest potential and maximizing the educational benefit for our students. When students walk in on day one, they’ll experience a space unlike anything they’ve seen. It will set the stage for the type of collaborative learning you see on college campuses and in the workforce.

Dr. Rich DearSuperintendent, Godley ISD

The school will be designed in phases, with Phase 1 focused on core components and academics. The CLI is the epicenter of the school, which also includes a 3-story academic wing and athletic support spaces. Next to the CLI, an outdoor courtyard features benches and a projection screen, reinforcing concepts of community and social learning. On the north side, a second story deck overlooks the football stadium—a design choice inspired by collegiate stadiums. It too is adaptable, and GISD can purpose it for learning, social, athletic and public use.

The new school adjoins the current facility, which will be repurposed into a middle school. The close proximity of the high school and middle school campuses will increase schedule flexibility and academic opportunities. The schools will create a shared campus connected with pedestrian walkways. Phase 2 of the high school includes the addition of fine arts, CTE, a competition gymnasium, a performing arts center and expansion of athletics.

Godley High School will support 700 students in grades 9-12. Planning an innovative design within the budget of $28 million required thoughtful use of space, as well as careful consideration of how to phase the project to take advantage of available facilities and amenities. It also required a team approach, tested when the district and Huckabee were faced with an unanticipated budget challenge: following a successful bond program, preliminary projections for tax revenue were lower than anticipated—a result of a decline in natural gas mineral property taxes (a large percent of the tax base is rooted in the natural gas mineral industry).

The team immediately worked with the construction manager to create a priority list and alternates that would frame the budget, successfully bringing an incredible facility within the new cost parameters. They focused on creating spaces that had multi-purpose uses, such as a CLI, outdoor learning courtyard and presentation rooms purposed for academic, athletic and community needs. The connection between the stadium and learning space also supported multi-functional use. This focus on adaptability minimized inefficiencies in the program and maximized budget.

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When the anticipated budget for the new campus declined, it took a team effort to bring costs back into alignment with the district’s educational goals. That’s Huckabee’s strength, working with clients and partners to collaboratively develop solutions that meet educational needs, budget goals and ultimately benefit students, the community and taxpayers.

Josh BrownHuckabee

At 120,000 sf, the new Godley High School is an innovative and engaging space that will support district growth—in enrollment and educational delivery—for decades to come. It’s a project that will change the community and support its development into a destination district while also providing interactive, real-world experiences for students. The campus is set to open in 2018.

“What I’ve learned is we could teach inside a cardboard box…learning can take place anywhere. And what I’ve learned about our kids is they’ll respond if we’re truly doing our best to engage them,” said David Truitt, West ISD Superintendent in the new documentary, A Bright Future: West Rises Up.

The documentary follows the story of five students, following the 2013 explosion that devastated West ISD’s school buildings and much of the town. Through their eyes, it tells the story of the community’s resilience in the aftermath of the disaster, leading up to the opening of the new schools this past August.

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We’ve got a lot of people in our district and our town who didn’t let tragedy keep them from succeeding. We’re excited for this film to tell their story in such a memorable way.

David TruittSuperintendent, West ISD

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You’ll see captivating images showing the damage to the old schools and the beauty of the new educational spaces, but this isn’t actually a story about buildings. It’s a story about resourceful, resilient people.

Rush OlsonDirector, A Bright Future: West Rises Up

The film will make its broadcast debut on KWKT FOX 44 (Waco-Bryan-College Station) on Thursday, October 20 at 9:30 PM, with hour two running the following evening at the same time. The station will run both hours back-to-back on October 21 from 4-6 PM; sister station KYLE Y28 will air the film on October 22 from 7-9 PM. The documentary will be shown in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on November 26 at 11 AM and November 27 at 7 AM. Additional airings will be announced.

Rush Olson, of FourNine Productions and Rush Olson Creative & Sports, and director of photography/editor Dave French of Ludisian Legion Entertainment have gathered interviews and footage for more than three years. Their finished film includes stories of getting children back to school 100 hours after the explosion, years spent on a campus consisting entirely of portable buildings and some remarkable athletic and academic achievements. Being, at its heart, a story about learners, the filmmakers felt the choice of narrators should reflect its essence.

Lake Creek High School broke ground on Thursday, kicking off construction of Montgomery ISD’s second high school campus. The facility will open in 2018, blending secondary education with a collegiate and professional feel that supports engaging interactions and real-world experiences.

The campus is designed along a “main street corridor” that connects the media center / library and academic wing to public core components including fine arts, athletics and CTE programs. Academic wings are grouped in a flexible arrangement that support multi-disciplinary programming. A modern materials palette combines limestone, brick, metal panels, large expanses of glass and engineered wood veneer.

Click here to read more about the groundbreaking ceremony and the project.

West ISD’s new High School / Middle School opens Wednesday. . . a special moment for a community that has been waiting for a new building to call home after losing theirs in 2013.

The school was designed with a civic-inspired architecture, a representation of how central it is to the community. It features two distinct academic wings (for middle school and high school); an open-concept commons, dining hall and competition gymnasium; two Learning Resource Centers complete with learning stairs and second story break-out rooms; and collaborative learning space that connects classrooms with an open and flexible layout.

West High School / Middle School serves up to 1,000 students in grades 6-12. It is one of 10 new Huckabee-designed schools that open in August 2016.

The new Westpark Elementary School opens on Monday, marking a celebratory day for students and families within the Benbrook and Fort Worth ISD communities. The campus replaces an aging facility and provides students with a modern space that is light and bright with large classrooms, an outdoor learning courtyard and an engaging library / media center.

The media center features flexible furniture and a large window seat (stretching the length of the wall) for small-group and large-group instruction. An outdoor learning courtyard expands the classroom and contains playground equipment as well as space for countless learning, gathering and play opportunities.

The 80,000 sf school was designed to support traditional and project-based instruction; it serves students in pre-K through 5th grade. Westpark Elementary School is one of 10 new Huckabee-designed schools that open in August 2016.